Determined

Reviews / Votes

A bravura performance, well worth reading for the pleasure of Sapolsky's deeply informed company ... he makes a moving case that [our lack of freedom is] a reason to live with profound forgiveness and understanding ... absorbing and compassionate -- Oliver Burkeman * Observer * Excellent . . . Outstanding for its breadth of research, the liveliness of the writing, and the depth of humanity it conveys * Wall Street Journal * [A] highly entertaining account of why ... we should and must overcome the infuriating conspiracy of mind that insists we are the authors of our actions. Anyone who believes otherwise needs to read it -- Philip Ball * Times Literary Supplement * Wonderfully readable ... humorous and warm and humane -- Justin Webb * Today (BBC Radio 4) * [A] witty, erudite, imaginative and deeply humane new book... [The] case that Sapolsky makes for a transition from a criminal-justice system based on blame and retribution...to one founded on blame-free rehabilitation is moving and compelling * Literary Review * Robert Sapolsky explains why the latest developments in neuroscience and psychology explode our conventional idea of Free Will. The book's chock-full of complex and often counter-intuitive ideas. It's also a joy to read. That's because Sapolsky is not only one of the world's most brilliant scientists, but also an immensely gifted writer who tells this important story with wit and compassion. It's impossible to recommend this book too highly. Reading it could change your life * Laurence Rees * In his usual frank and amusing style, Robert Sapolsky argues that free will is an illusion. His stance is both hard to accept and hard to deny. An utterly fascinating topic with mind-boggling implications for human morality -- Frans de Waal, author of Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist Witty and engaging, Determined is also a goldmine of fascinating information (most of it accessible even to those of us who aren't scientifically literate) about neuroscience; philosophy; chaos theory; emergent complexity; quantum indeterminacy; evolving knowledge of the causes of epilepsy, schizophrenia, and autism; and, of course, the impact of nature and nurture on decision-making * Psychology Today * Sapolsky's decades of experience studying the effects of the interplay of genes and the environment on behavior shine brightly . . . He provides compelling examples that bad luck compounds . . . convincingly argues against claims that chaos theory, emergent phenomena, or the indeterminism offered by quantum mechanics provide the gap required for free will to exist * Science * Fascinating, provocative and profound. This book tackles all sorts of big issues: how the human brain works, what makes us different, and what underlies everything we do. If Sapolsky is right, we might need to rethink justice and law, and for each of us personally, what it really takes to be happy and successful -- Daniel M. Davis, author of The Secret Body